U.S. patent application number 11/896797 was filed with the patent office on 2008-11-20 for current breaker.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sun-Lite Sockets Industry Inc.. Invention is credited to Tsan-Chi Chen.
Application Number | 20080284556 11/896797 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39295423 |
Filed Date | 2008-11-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080284556 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Tsan-Chi |
November 20, 2008 |
Current breaker
Abstract
A current breaker includes a shell, a switching member, a
movable conductor, a first conductive strip, a second conductive
strip, a third conductive strip, a snap strip, a disengaging member
and a locking member. In case of excessive current, the snap strip
disfigures to move the disengaging member for releasing the locking
member from the movable conductor, and then separates the movable
conductor from the first conductive strip so as to cut off current.
Moreover, even if the switching member should accidentally be
compressed immovable in the ON condition, this current breaker
still could work to cut off current automatically.
Inventors: |
Chen; Tsan-Chi; (Taipei
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BACON & THOMAS, PLLC
625 SLATERS LANE, FOURTH FLOOR
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22314-1176
US
|
Assignee: |
Sun-Lite Sockets Industry
Inc.
Taoyuan
TW
|
Family ID: |
39295423 |
Appl. No.: |
11/896797 |
Filed: |
September 6, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
337/70 ;
337/79 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H 71/04 20130101;
H01H 71/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
337/70 ;
337/79 |
International
Class: |
H01H 71/16 20060101
H01H071/16; H01H 71/04 20060101 H01H071/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 18, 2007 |
TW |
096208048 |
Claims
1. A current breaker comprising: A shell provided with an opening
in an upper surface; A switching member having a first end
pivotally connected to an interior of said shell and a second end
extending up through said opening out of said shell; A first
conductive strip having a first end inserting through a bottom of
said shell to expose out of said shell and a second end extending
up toward an upper side of said shell; A movable conductor placed
between said switching member and said first conductive strip, said
movable conductor having a first end pivotally connected near said
upper side of said shell and a second end resting on said first
conductive strip; A snap strip connected electrically to said
movable conductor and having a first end fixed near a bottom of
said shell and a second end that may curl up towards said upper
side of said shell if said snap strip disfigures; A disengaging
member placed between said movable conductor and said first
conductive strip and having a first end facing to said upper side
of said shell and a second end facing to said bottom of said shell,
said second end being near said second end of said snap strip, said
disengaging member pushed towards said upper side of said shell
when said second end of said snap strip curls up towards said upper
side of said shell; and, A locking member having a first end
pivotally connected to said first end of said switching member and
a second end resting on said first end of said disengaging member,
said locking member having its underside contact said movable
conductor, said locking member moving towards said upper side of
said shell and separating said underside of said locking member
from said movable conductor when said disengaging member shifts
towards said upper side of said shell, consequently said second end
of said movable conductor moving away from said first conductive
strip.
2. The current breaker as claimed in claim 1, wherein a coil spring
is provided in said shell, having a first end fixedly hooked at a
point in said shell and a second end connected to said first end of
said locking member, by means of elasticity of said coil spring
said first end of said locking member keeps on being pushed towards
said switching member and said second end of said switching member
moves from a first end of said opening of said shell to a second
end of said opening under a condition that said movable conductor
is separated from said first conductive strip.
3. The current breaker as claimed in claim 2, wherein said movable
conductor comprises: a conductive block having a first end
pivotally connected near an upper side of said shell and a second
end resting on said first conductive strip; and, a soft wire having
a first end connected to said second end of said conductive block
and a second end connected to said first end of said snap
strip.
4. The current breaker as claimed in claim 3, wherein said
conductive block of said movable conductor further comprises: a
locking shaft placed through an intermediate portion of two
sidewalls and contacting with an underside of said locking member;
a torsional spring pivotally connected to a point near said upper
side of said shell together with said first end of said conductive
block, said torsional spring having two ends pushing said upper
side of said shell and said locking shaft respectively, by means of
elasticity of said torsional spring said conductive block pushed to
move towards said first conductive strip and said second end of
said conductive block separating from said first conductive strip
under a condition that said underside of said locking member is
separated from said locking shaft.
5. The current breaker as claimed in claim 4, wherein said
disengaging member comprises: a round elongate projection formed at
an upper end and having two ends protruding out of two sidewalls
and movably fitting in two limit slots bored in two sidewalls of
said shell; an opening bored nearly at a center and near said
second end of said disengaging member for receiving said second end
of said locking member; and. a recess formed in said second end of
said disengaging member for receiving said second end of said snap
strip.
6. The current breaker as claimed in claim 5, wherein said locking
member is provided with a recess on an underside of said second
end, said recess contacts with said locking shaft, and said locking
member has its first end pushed said switching member to swing
under a condition that said recess separates from said locking
shaft by means of elasticity of said coil spring.
7. The current breaker as claimed in claim 6, wherein a second
conductive strip is fixed to have a first end inserting through
said bottom of said shell and a second end extending up in said
shell, said second conductive strip has a second end fixed with a
rivet, and said rivet fixes said second conducive strip and said
first end of said disengaging member together with said shell.
8. The current breaker as claimed in claim 6, wherein a light
emitter is installed in said shell, and said light emitter
comprises: a lighting member fixed near said upper side of said
shell, said lighting member having an upper end facing to a
transparent window fixed in said upper side of said shell; and, two
conducive feet having a first end connected to said lighting
member, one of said two conductive feet connected to said second
conductive strip, another of said two conductive feet connected to
a third conductive strip provided on said bottom of said shell.
9. The current breaker as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
conductive block has a first contact member on its second end, and
said first contact member is connected to a second contact member
fixed on said second end of said first conductive strip.
10. The current breaker as claimed in claim 6, wherein said
disengaging member is provided with a contact hole between said
opening and said recess, and said contact hole receives said first
contact member and said second contact member together therein.
11. The current breaker as claimed in claim 6, wherein said shell
further has a spring hooking pin for hooking an end of said coil
spring.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a current breaker, particularly to
one provided with a snap strip in a shell, so when the current
becomes excessive, with a switching member provided in the shell
impossible to be swung to the OFF condition because of being
accidentally compressed by something, the snap strip can still snap
to cut off current.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Common electric switches generally function to turn on and
off current to send electricity to electric appliances, and a
safety switch is always used for cutting off power in case of
excessive large current to protect electric appliances from burned
or damaged. A safety switch, or a current breaker, automatically
turns off power when an electric appliance is overloaded, so as to
protect the electric appliances, thus it is very essential for a
user whether the safety switch has high effectiveness or not.
[0005] A conventional current breaker shown in FIG. 1, includes a
shell 10, a press key 11 pivotally installed on an upper surface of
the shell 10, a first conductive strip 101, a second conductive
strip 102 and a third conductive strip 103 all inserted in a bottom
of the shell 10, a snap strip 12, and a push rod 13 in the shell
10.
[0006] The snap strip 12 has one end located on one end of the
first conductive strip 101 in the shell 10, and the other end
formed with a contact point 121 and a lead wire 122. The contact
point 121 faces to the second conductive strip 102 and connected to
a contact point 1104 of the second conductive strip 102. The lead
wire 122 is connected to the third conductive strip 103. The push
rod 13 has one end pivotally connected to one end of the bottom and
the other end connected to the other end of the snap strip 12.
[0007] When the conventional current breaker is turned ON, the
contact point 121 contacts with the contact point 104 to let
current flow orderly through the first conductive strip 101, the
snap strip 12 and the third conductive strip 103. Provided that the
current suddenly rises up surpassing the safe value, the snap strip
12 is to be heated to disfigure instantly, forcing one end to bend
towards the press key 11, with the contact point 121 of the snap
strip 12 separated from the contact point 104 of the second
conductive strip 102, automatically cutting off the power, with the
press key 11 jumping back to the OFF position, protecting related
electric appliances from damaged.
[0008] However, the conventional current breaker has a dangerous
drawback that when the snap strip 12 has one end disfigured, the
press key 11 is simultaneously to jump back to the OFF position.
Should the press key 11 be disturbed by something, impossible to
jump back from the ON position to the OFF position, the snap strip
12 might be have its one also impossible to disfigure, causing the
contact point 121 kept contacting the contact point 104 of the
second conductive strip 102. Thus, even the current becomes
extremely excessive beyond the safe load, it is not cut off,
potentially burning up related electric appliances and causing a
fire if worse. Therefore, it is a pressing problem to upgrade
safety of a conventional current breaker.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] This invention has been devised to offer a current breaker
possible to automatically and surely cut off current in case of
overloaded current.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] This invention will be better understood by referring to the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional safety
switch;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a current breaker in the
present invention, showing it in a first operation;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the current breaker in
the present invention, showing it in a second operation;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the current breaker in
the present invention, showing a press key compressed immovable by
something;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the current breaker in
the present invention, showing it in a third operational
condition;
[0016] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of some components of
the current breaker in the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a side view of the current breaker in the present
invention;
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] A current breaker in the present invention, as shown in FIG.
2, includes a shell 2, a switching member 3, a first conductive
strip 4, a movable conductor 5, a snap strip 6, a disengaging
member 71, and a locking member 81 as main components.
[0019] The shell 2 is provided with an opening 20 in an upper
surface.
[0020] The switching member 3 has a first end pivotally connected
in the shell 2, and a second end extending upward out of the
opening 20 of the shell 2, handled to turn on and off power, as
shown in FIG. 2. When the switching member 3 is pushed to a first
side of the shell 2, the current beaker is ON. The first conductive
strip 4 is made of copper, having a first end inserted downward
through the bottom of the shell 2, and a second end extending in
the interior of the shell 2. The movable conductor 5 is placed
between the switching member 3 and the first conductive strip 4,
having a first end pivotally connected near to the upper surface of
the shell 2, and a second end contacting the first conductive strip
4. The snap strip 6 is made of a memory metal alloy, having a first
end located in the shell 2 near its bottom, and a second end
connected electrically to the movable conductor 5. The disengaging
member 71 is placed between the movable conductor 5 and the first
conductive strip 4, having a first end facing to the upper side of
the shell 2, and a second end facing to the bottom of the shell 2
and also near a first end of the snap strip 6. The locking member
81 has a first end pivotally connected to the first end of the
switching member 3, and a second end resting on a first end of the
disengage member 71, with its intermediate lower surface resting on
the movable conductor 5.
[0021] Next, as shown in FIG. 2, current flows orderly through the
first conductive strip 4, the movable conductor 5, one soft wire 53
of the movable conductor 5, and the snap strip 6, when the current
breaker is in the ON condition. If the current flowing through the
current breaker suddenly rises excessively, letting the snap strip
6 disfigure owing to too high temperature, as shown in FIG. 3, the
second end of the snap strip 6 may bend towards the upper side of
the shell 2, pushing up the disengaging member 71, which then
pushes upward the locking member 81 towards the upper side of the
shell 2. Then the locking member 81 separates from the movable
conductor 5, permitting the movable conductor 5 leave the first
conductive strip 4, disrupting the current so that the relative
circuit system connected to the current breaker may be prevented
from burning up by excessive current. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4,
even if the switching member 3 in the ON condition should be
compressed immovable by something and impossible to be pushed to
turn off the current, the movable conductor 5 still can separate
from the first conductive strip 4, cutting off the current, getting
rid of the drawback of the conventional current breaker mentioned
above.
[0022] Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a coil spring 9 is further
installed in the shell 2, having a first end hooking a spring pin
230 fixed in the shell 2, and a second end hooking the locking
member 81 near its first end, elastically pulling the first end of
the locking member 81 towards the bottom of the shell 2 in case the
current breaker is under ON condition. So the locking member 81 can
have its lower side in contact with the movable conductor 5 to
permit the current to flow through the first conductive strip 4,
the movable conductive block 5, the soft wire 53 and the
disengaging member 6.
[0023] Moreover, referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, when the locking
member 81 separates from the movable conductive block 5, the spring
9 can continue to pull the locking member 81 towards the switching
member 3, and pushes continually the first end of the switching
member 3 so that the switching member 3 may swing from a first end
of the opening 20 to a second end thereof and cut off the current.
Afterwards, if the snap strip 6 cools down owning to interruption
of the current, the second end of the snap strip 6 bends down
towards the bottom of the shell 2, permitting the locking member 81
also moves down towards the bottom of the shell 2, and contacts
with the movable conductor 5, as shown in FIG. 2. Then the
switching member 3 swings to the second end of the opening 20 of
the shell 2, and simultaneously pushes the movable conductor 5 to
contact with the first conductive strip 4 to turn on the current
breaker again.
[0024] Next, referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, the movable conductor 5 is
composed of a conductive block 51, a soft wire 53, a locking shaft
511 and a torsional spring 513. The conductive block 51 has two
pivotal holes 52 at an upper end, and pivotally connected near to
the upper side of the shell 2, and a lower end resting on the first
conductive strip 4 so that the conductive block 51 may rotate in
the shell 2 to move farther away from the first conductive strip 4.
The soft wire 53 is a twisted copper wire, having a first end
connected to the lower end of the conductive block 51 and a second
end welded with the second end of the disengaging strip 6. Thus
electrical connection between the conductive block 51 and the
disengage strip 6 is never affected owing to the flexible property
of the soft wire 53, no matter how the conductive block 51 may be
moved, or how the disengaging strip 6 may disfigure. The current
always flows through the soft wire 53 to the snap strip 6 as long
as the lower end of the conductive block 51 rests on the first
conductive strip 4.
[0025] The locking shaft 511 is deposited between a front wall and
a rear walls in an intermediate portion of the conductive block 51,
passing through two holes 510 in the front and the rear wall and
contacting with a lower surface of the locking member 81. The
torsional spring 513 and the upper end of the conductive block 51
are both pivotally connected near to the upper side of the shell 2,
with the two ends of the torsional spring 513 respectively pressing
on the upper side of the shell 2 and the locking shaft 511. Then
the torsional spring 513 pushes the conductive block 51 farther
from the first conductive strip 4, cutting off current, so no power
can reach the related electrical system by means of the current
breaker.
[0026] As shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, the disengaging member 71 has
a first end formed with a round elongate projection 710 at an upper
end protruding out of two opposite sides and having two ends
movably fitting in a limiting slot 21 bored in two sidewalls of the
shell 2 so that the disengaging member is hung in the shell 2 by
means of the round elongate projection 710, possible to move up and
down in a limited distance. The round elongate projection 710 is
provided with a center through hole 711 for a bar 713 to fit
through, having an end facing to the bottom of the shell 2 and near
the second end of the snap strip 6.
[0027] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, 6 and 7, the locking member
81 has a pivotal hole 82 formed at a first end, and the switching
member 3 has a pivotal hole 30 formed in a lower end, so the first
end of the locking member 81 is pivotally connected to the pivotal
hole 30 of the switching member 3 by means of a pivot. A second end
of the locking member 81 passes through an avoiding opening 415 of
the conductive block 51 and rests on the upper end of the
disengaging member 71, with the underside resting on the locking
shaft 511. Therefore, even if the switching member 3 is at the OFF
position, current can still flow through the first conductive strip
4, the conductive block 5, the soft wire 53 and the snap strip 6.
If the current suddenly becomes excessively high, forcing the snap
strip 6 disfigure because of high temperature, the first end of the
snap strip 6 curls up to push the disengaging member 71 upward to
the upper side of the shell 2, separating the locking member 81
from the locking shaft 511, and subsequently forcing the conductive
block 51 separate from the first conductive strip 4, cutting off
the current flowing through the current breaker and subsequently
the related electric appliances or system.
[0028] Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the disengaging member 71
is provided with a large hole 715 in a center portion, and a recess
717 in an inner lower portion. The large hole 715 is provided with
a push point 716 for the second end of the locking member 81 to
rest thereon, so when the disengaging member 71 is pushed up, the
locking member 81 is also lifted up together. The recess 717 is to
receive the first end of the snap strip 6 to let the disengaging
member 71 moved by the snap strip 6. The locking member 81 is
provided with a spring hooking hole 810 in an intermediate portion
for one end of the coil spring 9 to hook with, and a recess 811
formed in an underside of the first end portion to rest on the
locking shaft 511. So when the disengaging member 71 moves the
locking member 81 upward, the recess 811 separates from the locking
shaft 511, permitting the conductive block 51 move off the first
conductive strip 4, and at the same time the locking member 81 is
pulled by the spring 9, moving the switching member to swing.
[0029] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, the conductive block 51 is
provided with a first contact member 515 on a lower end facing the
first conductive strip 4, and fixed in a rivet hole 512 of the
conductive block 51 to contact a second contact member 40 formed on
the first conductive strip 4 so that current can run through the
first conductive strip 4 to the conductive block 51. The
disengaging member 71 is further provided with a contact receiving
hole 719 under the opening 715 for receiving the first contact
member 515 and the second contact member 40 together therein, so
the two contact members 515 and 40 may move a little therein for
avoiding blocking the shifting of the disengaging member 71.
[0030] Besides, a second conductive strip 22 is fixed on the bottom
of the shell 2, made of copper, having a first end inserted down
through the bottom of the shell 2 and a second end extending
parallel to the bottom of the shell 2, with a rivet 23 fixed on the
second end for stabilizing the first end of the snap strip 6 and
the second conductive strip 22 together in the shell 2. Then any
electric system can be connected with the current breaker by means
of the first and the second conductive strip 4 and 22 for
preventing the electric system from damaged or burned.
[0031] Further, a light emitter 24 is installed in the shell 2, as
shown in FIG. 2, for a user to check whether the current breaker is
electrified or not. The light emitter 24 has two conductive feet
240 extending down to the bottom of the shell 2, and one of the two
conductive feet 240 connected to the second conductive strip 22,
and the other conductive foot 240 connected to a third conductive
strip 26 extending down through the bottom of the shell 2 to expose
out, in order to prevent the two conductive feet from contacting
with each other. In addition, a separating strip 28 is added
between the two conductive feet 240 on the bottom of the shell 2.
The light emitter 24 has a lighting member 242 on its surface near
the upper side of the shell 2, and the lighting member 242 is
connected with the two conductive feet 240 to get power, and can be
a light bulb. Further, a transparent window 29 is fitted in a side
wall of the shell 2 to let the light of the lighting member 242 to
shoot out of the shell 2 so that a use can know whether the current
breaker is powered or not.
[0032] The current breaker in the invention has the following
advantages.
[0033] 1. When the current is overloaded, the snap strip 6 can snap
to cut off the power, protecting electric appliances connected to
the current breaker from damaged or burned.
[0034] 2. No matter whether the switching member 3 is compressed
immovable or not, the movable conductor 5 can separate from the
first conductive strip 4, instantly cutting off the current,
improving the flaw of the conventional current breaker, largely
upgrading the safety of an electric circuit system using this
current breaker.
[0035] 3. A user can inspect whether the light emitter is lit up or
not so as to decide the current breaker is powered or not.
[0036] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been
described above, it will be recognized and understood that various
modifications may be made therein and the appended claims are
intended to cover all such modifications that may fall within the
spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *